1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses consistent with the present invention relate to a performance testing apparatus of a refrigerating cycle for testing a heat exchanger, and, more particularly, to an apparatus for testing a refrigerating cycle of a small capacity heat exchanger.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a refrigerating cycle used by an air conditioner or a refrigerator comprises a compressor, a heat exchanger including a condenser and an evaporator, and an expansion device including an orifice. Such components of the refrigerating cycle form a closed circuit through a refrigerant pipe.
The compressor compresses a refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state, and the condenser then condenses the refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure liquid state. Further, the expansion device expands the refrigerant, while in the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid state, into a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid state through a throttling expansion action. The evaporator evaporates the refrigerant in the low-temperature and low-pressure liquid state after being transmitted by the expansion device.
Accordingly, the refrigerant circulating within the refrigerant pipe is condensed by the condenser to emit heat to the surrounding circumference, and is evaporated by the evaporator to absorb heat from the surrounding circumference, thereby being cooled by the evaporator.
Before the above components constituting the refrigerating cycle are installed in the air conditioner or the refrigerator, their performances are measured to test whether or not they are working properly.
A conventional apparatus for testing the heat exchanger and the expansion device includes a general compressor, a refrigerant pipe connected to the compressor and installed such that a condenser, an evaporator and an expansion device. Further, such a testing apparatus includes cooling fluids respectively provided outside of the condenser and the evaporator for heat-exchanging with refrigerants in the condenser and the evaporator. Sensors are respectively installed along the refrigerant pipe at inlets and outlets of the condenser, the evaporator and the expansion device for sensing the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant.
When the compressor is operated under the above-described condition, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor sequentially passes through the condenser, the expansion device, and the evaporator, thus being circulated within the above components. The refrigerant passing through the condenser and the evaporator exchanges heat with a corresponding one of the cooling fluids outside of the condenser and the evaporator. The condenser, the evaporator and the expansion device are tested by measuring variations in the temperatures and pressures of the refrigerant at the inlets and the outlets of the condenser, the evaporator and the expansion device, and measuring a flow rate of the refrigerant flowing within the refrigerant pipe.
Since the refrigerating cycle used in the conventional air conditioner or refrigerator has a capacity of at least several kilowatts (kw), the apparatus for testing components constituting the above-described refrigerating cycle is suitable for testing a heat exchanger and an expansion device employed in such a refrigerant cycle having a capacity of several kilowatts (kw), and where the compressor of the testing apparatus compresses a large quantity of the refrigerant at once based on the capacity of the refrigerant cycle.
Recently, a refrigerating cycle having a capacity of several watts (w), which employs a small capacity heat exchanger and a micro orifice serving as an expansion device, has been developed. Since ultra small capacity compressors have been recently developed, it is expected that such a refrigerating cycle having a capacity of several watts (w), as opposed to the conventional refrigerating cycles having several kilowatts (kw), will be rapidly developed. Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus for testing the performance of a small capacity heat exchanger and an expansion device, such as a micro orifice, employing the above-noted refrigerating cycle having such a small capacity.